Jump to content

Texas & New Mexico Railway

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Texas & New Mexico Railway
Overview
HeadquartersWolfforth, Texas
Reporting markTXN
LocaleTexas, New Mexico
Dates of operation2015–present
PredecessorTexas - New Mexico Railroad (1926 - 2015)
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)
Length111 miles (179 km)
Route map
Map

The Texas & New Mexico Railway (reporting mark TXN) is a class III short-line railroad operating in west Texas and southeast New Mexico. The railroad line operates on 111 miles of track from a connection with the Union Pacific at Monahans, Texas, and terminates at Lovington, New Mexico. The railroad primarily provides freight service for the oilfields and related industries in the region.[1]

History

[edit]

Lovington, New Mexico is the terminus of the TNMR.[2] Before 1930, the planned Gulf, Texas and New Mexico Railway proposed to construct a branch running westward from Seminole, Texas via Lovington, NM and terminating at Roswell, New Mexico. However, the tracks were never constructed, and for a time the nearest rail line was the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in nearby Seagraves, Texas.

As a result of the oil discovered in the Permian Basin in 1927, the Texas–New Mexico Railway was incorporated on November 19, 1927. Within a year the railroad fell under the control of the Texas & Pacific Railway. Construction commenced in 1928 and the line was completed on July 20, 1930.[3] In 1989, what was then Union Pacific sold the property to RailTex, and short line service started on September 18, 1989.[3] Railtex sold to RailAmerica in February 2000, which in turn sold to Permian Basin Railways in May 2002.[3] In September 2011, Iowa Pacific Holdings, which owned Permian Basin Railways, announced a major rebuilding of the railroad, including track upgrades and new locomotives, at a cost of more than $20 million.[4][5]

In May 2015 Watco purchased the assets of the Texas – New Mexico Railroad from Iowa Pacific Holdings, and renamed the railroad the Texas & New Mexico Railway.[6]

Ownership of the line

[edit]

Route

[edit]
  • Monahans, Texas (interchange with Union Pacific Railroad mainline)
  • Cloyd, Texas (no longer shown in timetables)
  • Prairie Spur, Texas (no longer Shown in timetables)
  • Wink Junction (no longer shown in timetables - abandoned branch to Wink, Texas)
  • Kermit, Texas
  • Magwait, Texas
  • Cheyenne, Texas (no longer shown in timetables)
  • Jal, New Mexico
  • Combest, New Mexico
  • United Carbon
  • Eunice, New Mexico
  • Kornegray, New Mexico (no longer shown in timetables)
  • Warren, New Mexico
  • Climax, New Mexico
  • Hobbs, New Mexico (yard/office)
  • Permco (Airfield) (no longer shown in timetables)
  • Kimbrough, New Mexico (no longer shown in timetables)
  • Southern Union Oil
  • Lea County Oil
  • Lovington, New Mexico

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "UP: Texas New Mexico Railroad TNMR #815." Union Pacific Railroad. Web. 02 Aug. 2011. http://www.uprr.com/customers/shortline/lines/tnm.shtml
  2. ^ New Mexico Office of the State Historian : Lovington." New Mexico Office of the State Historian : Digital History Project. Web. 02 Aug. 2011. "New Mexico Office of the State Historian : Lovington". Archived from the original on 2010-10-05. Retrieved 2009-03-14.
  3. ^ a b c "Texas and New Mexico Railway TXN #815". Union Pacific. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  4. ^ "Iowa Pacific Holdings to upgrade Texas-New Mexico's track, motive power". Progressive Railroading. September 19, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
  5. ^ "Permian Basin Railways". Iowa Pacific Holdings. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  6. ^ "Watco to acquire two west Texas short lines". Progressive Railroading. 22 May 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
[edit]